Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini win over Missouri

2. Quincy Guerrier might be an NBA player

Coming into this season, I wasn’t sure if Illinois had any NBA players on the roster. We had Terrence Shannon Jr. and Coleman Hawkins test the waters, but they both returned to Champaign.

Through 11 games this season, I believe Shannon is looking like he is going to have a viable shot at making it to the NBA and sticking. But there is one other player who I now think could end up being a pretty decent NBA prospect.

Quincy Guerrier came to Illinois as a middle-of-the-road forward. He wasn’t putting up big numbers at his other two stops, so I didn't think he was going to bring a lot of playmaking ability to the Illini. Well, I was wrong.

I believe Guerrier is a big-time NBA prospect who could work his way into the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft. Yes, I am going on record and saying this.

Guerrier has a lot of what the NBA looks for in players. He has great size at 6-foot-8. He can guard at all levels of the floor. Guerrier can back players down in the paint, but he can also step out and shoot from distance. This kid is the complete package.

On Friday night, Guerrier once again showed off his talent. He dropped 28 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the floor and 5-of-8 from three-point range. He also had eight rebounds and a steal to go along with his big scoring night.

Over his last three games, Guerrier has been given the reins a little more. In this stretch, he has averaged 21.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game and has shot 54.3% from the field and 55.6% from three-point range.

I have been extremely impressed with Guerrier this season. With Shannon doing his things at guard, it is nice for Illinois to have a big forward who can play numerous roles on the court.